Ruben is the founder of The Marketing Hunters, specializing in branding and market positioning. Originally from California, Ruben migrated to El Paso to contribute to its growth. Through initiatives like Thrive In Your City, The Moment Conference, etc., he unifies the El Paso business community. During this episode we talked about: •The El Paso Business Community - the good, the bad and the ugly. •Avoiding “Shiny Object Syndrome”. •Best Mexican Food - California vs. El Paso. •Why you should NOT ...
Oct 26, 2023•2 hr 22 min•Ep. 31
This time we had the great pleasure to chat with local travel hacker/influencer Miguel, aka Travel Sergeant. Miguel is a travel hacker with over 150K followers on social media. After living in Germany for 3 years and seeing how accessible visiting other countries was, he quickly became a travel addict. Once he came back to El Paso, he looked for creative ways to finance his travel lifestyle and that’s when he learned about travel hacking. As of today, Miguel has traveled to 37 countries spending...
Feb 07, 2023•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 30
This time we talked to Erik Carrasco, an alcoholic who is working through sobriety in hopes of helping others in the community facing similar adversity. Erik is a father of 3, who worked in the customer service/business field for over 20 years. Raised in Canutillo TX, Erik wants to share his story about hope and the way a positive mindset can help you overcome many things in life. Erik was a recipient of an organ donation in 2021 and has been sober for over a year. Even after a successful transp...
Sep 13, 2022•2 hr 31 min•Ep. 29
Episode 28/52 is out now! This time we had the great pleasure to chat with local icon, Johnny Kage. Johnny is a DJ, entrepreneur, radio personality for 104.3 Hit FM, and resident DJ for SiriusXM. Born and raised in El Paso TX, Johnny is a prime example of how hard work coupled with the right mindset pays off! From a young age, Johnny’s passion for music and lessons from his grandparents allowed him to face life’s obstacles head on. Even after a successful career, Johnny remains passionate about ...
Mar 29, 2022•2 hr 3 min•Ep. 28
Cynthia R. Lopez is a native El Pasoan who grew up in the area and graduated from Hanks High School. She is a licensed attorney in immigration removal defense and family-based petitions. Cynthia is the Co-Founder and President of the El Paso Queer Bar Association, an organization that serves as a legal resource for El Paso’s LGBTQ+ community. In 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, Cynthia acquired The Johnny Cash Bar and restaurant. Cynthia is someone who consistently strives to make positive cont...
Feb 28, 2022•2 hr 21 min•Ep. 27
This is a very special episode! This time we talked to El Paso Children’s Hospital Director of Infection Prevention, Jose Luis Salas and Pediatric ICU Manager, Kristine Tejeda. The ongoing pandemic is far from over and there’s still plenty of questions and misconceptions out there. One of the goals for this episode is to help alleviate some of the stress and confusion circulating in our community. Another main objective for this episode is to highlight and share the stories of the great people i...
Jan 25, 2022•1 hr 47 min•Ep. 26
We had the great pleasure to chat with Josh Stokes. Born and raised in El Paso, TX, Josh is the co-owner of Grown Together, a Vegan restaurant and meal prep company that has been officially operating since August of 2018. Chef by trade, Josh is someone passionate about creating positive impact every day. Josh is generous, personable, caring and always looking for ways to grow, he finds value developing others as well. In this episode, we talk about his start in entrepreneurship, his transition t...
Dec 03, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 25
We had the great pleasure to chat with Chelsie Evaldi. Born in El Paso, TX, Chelsie grew up in Cd. Juarez and received her degree in Business Marketing from McMurry University (Abilene, TX). After living in Austin, Spain, Ireland and many other places, she came home determined to highlight and promote her beloved city. In 2014, with the help of her husband, Chelsie purchased a novelty store which later became Chuco Relic. What started as a small storefront in El Paso’s downtown, is now a three l...
Oct 26, 2021•2 hr 15 min•Ep. 24
Justin Castillo is a mental health advocate who has battled with depression for a long time. Justin is now on a mission to positively impact others by sharing his story to bring awareness to mental health and suicide prevention in our community. After his fourth suicide attempt, Justin decided to change his life around and share his experience in dealing with major depressive disorder as a way to help others know they are not alone. During this conversation Justin talks about the events that led...
Sep 29, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 23
Episode 22/52 is out now. This time we had the great pleasure to chat with El Paso County Judge, Ricardo Samaniego. Born and raised in El Paso, Judge Samaniego is a proud graduate from Jefferson High School. Before taking public office, Judge Samaniego worked in various fields in both the private and public sector. His professional background is all-encompassing as he worked as an El Paso County Juvenile Probation Officer, an Interim Director for the El Paso County Housing Authority, Human Resou...
Sep 09, 2021•2 hr 11 min•Ep. 22
Episode 21/52 is out now! This time I had the great pleasure to chat with City Manager, Tommy Gonzalez. In 2014 he was appointed the City Manager of El Paso, Texas. With a budget of approximately $1 billion in operations and $1 billion in capital expenditures; Tommy oversees more than 6,000 employees including 500 leaders. Tommy is an impressively high performing leader with a vast and varied experience. Under his leadership, El Paso has won the All-America City (AAC) Award in 2018 and 2020, and...
Aug 19, 2021•2 hr•Ep. 21
Episode 20/52 is out now. This week we had the great pleasure to chat with international recording artist, professional SAG actor and entrepreneur Matt U Johnson Matt U Johnson is of Jamaican descent. Born and raised in Staten Island, New York, at age thirteen he decided to pursue a career in music. His lyrical singing style is unique, blending solid elements of Pop, R&B, Hip Hop, and Reggae along with EDM. Matt U’s passion, ambition and positivity has led him to work and collaborate with Re...
Aug 04, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 20
This week we had the great pleasure to chat with On Air Personality, Monika. Monika was raised in Hollywood, Calif., and then moved several times and eventually settled in El Paso. Monika's fun, positive, and caring personality has enabled her to work in the radio industry for over 20 years. She's someone genuinely involved with the progress of the community, Monika is always looking to find innovative and creative ways to make a positive impact through the Arts, Community Outreach Programs, LGB...
Jul 08, 2021•2 hr 42 min•Ep. 19
Born and raised in El Paso, Richie is a spoken word poet, musician and the current Project Director of the Barbed Wire Open Mic Series. Richie is a huge supporter of the local artistic community. He is also a college educator and a writer for the film/production studio, Power at the Pass, among many other endeavors. Richie’s mission is to give the community performance space and encouragement to express themselves and share stories through art.
Jun 03, 2021•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 18
This week we had the great pleasure to chat with Iris Lopez. Iris Lopez is a news journalist currently working as a weather reporter for KVIA News in El Paso TX. Most recently, Iris founded "Mija, Yes You Can", a non profit organization aiming to encourage and remind women and young girls that an equal world is possible. Iris' determination and "yes, you can" attitude has helped her surpass many difficulties in her career as well as in her personal life. She is always willing to go the extra mil...
May 13, 2021•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 17
This week we had the great pleasure to chat with Romy Hernandez. Romy is an entrepreneur, mom, local influencer and overall, a bad@$$ woman! Romy’s positive mindset and “never-give” up attitude has helped her through difficult moments in her life and definitely played a big role in finding success in pursuing her life goals. During this episode we talk about her journey being a single mom at 16, her experience working at a job she absolutely hated, why she decided to use social media as a way to...
Apr 29, 2021•2 hr 2 min•Ep. 16
This week we had the pleasure to sit down with Diego Martinez aka Diego Robot. Diego is one of El Paso’s most prominent artists and is the creative force behind Casa Ortiz, a gallery in Socorro, Texas. Born and raised in El Paso, Diego is best known for his “robot” paintings which he uses to connect and establish his identity. Diego is heavily involved in our community, he often collaborates with other local artists and organizations. He donates his time, skills as well as paintings to local cha...
Apr 13, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 15
This week we had the pleasure to sit down with Alexandria Serra. Alex is a criminal defense attorney, an entrepreneur, and someone truly invested in the progress and well being of our community. Alexandria is not your typical lawyer. Alex uses her vast knowledge and expertise to provide value to the community by educating and bringing awareness to important law related subjects all while sharing her exciting, friendly and easy going personality. During this conversation, Alex shares how her life...
Mar 30, 2021•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 14
On this episode, we had the pleasure to sit down with Caleb Lara from the TV show, Elevate El Paso . Caleb has lived a very interesting and amusing life to put it mildly. At age 13, Caleb gave a sermon in front of 500 people, he worked as a local model, he then became an award winning photographer and then transitioned to work on television. He is now a marketer, producer and TV host whose main goal is to enrich the quality of life of its audience. Caleb is known for being someone who is not afr...
Mar 18, 2021•1 hr 51 min•Ep. 13
This week we had the great pleasure to sit down with Gesuina Legaspy. Gesuina’s story is inspiring and definitely worth sharing. Even though she is young, Gesuina has been an entrepreneur most of her life. She is the proud owner of GAL Fashion and most recently, Maximus, a high-end fashion store for men. Gesuina is fearless and someone who believes in taking risks over regret any day of the week! Her success is no causality, Gesuina’s impeccable work ethic, passion and willingness to try new thi...
Mar 09, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 12
Known as the “Bearded Ref”, Joel Ojeda is a MMA referee, nurse, motivational speaker, author and creator of the YouTube channel “The Gold Corner” as well as The Gold Corner Nonprofit Organization. In September 2017 Joel’s daughter, Mia, was diagnosed with stage 4 Neuroblastoma at the age of 2. After a 10 month battle, Mia passed away on July 5th, 2018. During this conversation, Joel shares with us Mia’s courageous journey starting from being misdiagnosed here in El Paso, having to travel to Fort...
Feb 25, 2021•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 11
Born in El Paso, Texas, Rick Ramirez came from humble beginnings where having an education after high school was not the norm or even encouraged. Following high school, Rick joined the Marine Corps where he realized he wanted to positively influence others by becoming a teacher. Rick graduated from The University of Texas at El Paso, with a BA in history and education and a Master's in Educational Leadership. Thanks to Rick’s positive outlook on life and passion around influencing students, in 2...
Feb 18, 2021•1 hr 51 min•Ep. 10
This week we had the pleasure to sit down with Cristobal Chavez! Cristobal is a 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Black Belt and owner of 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu El Paso. Cristobal is also a professional MMA fighter, head coach and successful business owner with a fun personality and positive mindset. During this conversation we talk about his journey becoming a professional MMA fighter, the benefits of practicing Jiu Jitsu, and why El Paso has such strong Jiu Jitsu/MMA community. We also talk about the strug...
Feb 09, 2021•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 9
This week we had the pleasure of sitting down with El Paso’s favorite news reporter, Keenan Willard!! After growing up in North Carolina, Keenan attended college in Virginia, where he studied Broadcast Journalism. After a 6- month internship at CNN, he chose El Paso to begin his career in journalism. In this episode, Keenan tells us about the culture shock he experienced when moving to this city. He also explains why and how he took an active role reporting Covid-19 updates and stories. We discu...
Jan 27, 2021•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 8
Cinta de Oro is a Mexican American professional wrestler born in El Paso, Texas who grew up in Juarez, Chihuahua and El Segundo Barrio. With over 21 years of experience as a professional wrestler, Cinta de Oro shares his amazing and inspiring story. This conversation will showcase his passion for wrestling, his solid work ethic and definitely his unwavering character. In this episode we talk about his start in wrestling, his battle with depression at a young age which led him to attempt suicide,...
Jan 14, 2021•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 7
If you love traveling, you will definitely enjoy this episode! Joey Ortiz is a Mexican American living in Bali, Indonesia (prior to Covid). Joey is about to start a journey of a lifetime. Joey plans to travel around the world on a motorcycle!! After feeling he was living a monotonous life, 5 years ago, Joey left everything he had to go live in China for one year. During that year, Joey traveled all around Asia where he found meaning, purpose and happiness. Soon after coming back, Joey created NJ...
Jan 07, 2021•1 hr 45 min•Ep. 6
Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, Rick Moreno is the owner of the Moreno Real Estate Group. Since a very young age Rick grasped the importance of hard work and having determination. Rick had the opportunity to live in Los Angeles and New York where he graduated from NYU and earned two master’s degrees. Rick decided to come back to El Paso and give back to his community by serving and assisting clients in their real estate needs. With over 20 years of experience investing/real estate industry, R...
Dec 31, 2020•1 hr 47 min•Ep. 5
Sam is a professional stand-up comedian born and raised in El Paso Tx. With over 12 years of experience, Sam has toured nationally and internationally working with the biggest names in the industry making a name for himself in both English and Spanish!! Sam's work ethic, passion and outlook on life are simply amazing. He is not only a successful comedian but a great person overall who proudly represents El Paso in everything he does. In this episode Sam talks about his start in comedy after a di...
Dec 23, 2020•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 4
Elia Esparza is a singer, performer, entrepreneur, content creator and a fitness trainer among other things! Elia proudly represents El Paso in everything she does. She is definitely someone who is not afraid of hard work and making sacrifices in order to achieve her dreams. In this episode, Elia talks about her start in music, her experience living in New York, as well as her experience on "The Voice". The conversation focuses around dealing with self doubt, rejection and the importance of not ...
Dec 16, 2020•54 min•Ep. 3
Lizzie is the co-owner of Sun City Athletic Club. She is an athletic trainer, a Pro Bikini competitor, sponsored athlete, etc... Her radiant personality leaves an impression on everyone she meets. Lizzie's passion, dedication and positive mentality are things to admire and strive for. In this episode, Lizzie talks about her experience defying shutdown orders by keeping her business open. Lizzie explains why gyms are essential, how communication is crucial in a healthy relationship and the import...
Dec 09, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 2
